Glotfelty leads Berlin over Portage

PORTAGE — The Berlin Brothersvalley football team attempted only four passes the entire night during Friday's Week 2 WestPAC contest at Portage.

There wasn't a need for the Mountaineers to do anything else, not with their "Mr. Versatility" Drew Glotfelty leading the way.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior churned out 218 yards rushing on 32 carries as the Mountaineers improved to 2-0 on the young season with a 20-7 victory over the Mustangs.

"We can line him up at quarterback. We can line him up at wide receiver. We can line him up at running back," Berlin coach Doug Paul said of Glotfelty. "That's how we run our offense. But when teams start taking that away, we have other kids who can step up. There were times tonight that he was almost a decoy running around the end and our fullback was running up the middle at 8 to 10 yards a clip."

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Paul said Berlin's offensive line, including starters Levi Bowser, Mitchell Walker, Wyatt Horning, Collin Stoltzfus and Stew Trulick, paved the way for Glotfelty to have a big night.

"The offensive line played a great game," Paul said. "We can rotate eight or nine linemen. Luckily, for a small school, we have a lot of depth this year. We have some nice athletes on this team. But it's only Week 2. We have a long way to go."

Berlin's defense set up the first score when Stoltzfus recovered a fumble at midfield on Portage's first possession.

On the very next play, Glotfelty broke free for a 50-yard touchdown run and Bowser booted the PAT to give the Mountaineers a 7-0 lead at the 6:17 mark of the opening quarter.

The Mustangs were able to tie the score in the second period thanks to a Berlin miscue. A Portage punt pinned the Mountaineers inside the 5-yard line. A fumble ensued and Paul Husar recovered for Portage at the 2, which allowed Scott Giles to plow into the end zone on the next play.

The Mountaineers' defense posted a shutout the rest of the way.

"We gave up one touchdown and we gave them the ball at the 2-yard line. Other than, that, I'm pretty darn proud of our defense," Paul said. "They shut down a pretty good Portage offense. We have a very athletic defensive line. We rotate six interior guys to keep them fresh and get after it. They pin their ears back and go."

The go-ahead TD came with 1:22 left in first half when Blake Miller scored on a direct snap from 17 yards out. Bowser's kick was good on the PAT to put the visitors on top 14-7.

Miller also intercepted a pass just before halftime to stop a potential Portage drive and preserve the seven-point lead.

Berlin's final touchdown came at the 7:43 mark of the fourth period on a 3-yard run from Nick Stockwell.

Up 20-7, Berlin used a bit of trickery, attempting a halfback pass with under two minutes to go, something that didn't sit well with Portage coach Gary Gouse.

Paul explained the thinking behind the play. "We were just trying to keep our running backs from getting their heads taken off," he said. "If the safety came up in the box, we thought, 'you know what, if we can get one here, we're going to do it.' (Portage) had 10 guys in the box so we tried it."

Portage dropped to 1-1 after upsetting preseason favorite North Star in Week 1.

"We played the best two teams in the league toe to toe," Gouse said. "We didn't back off. We played them to the bitter end. (Berlin) knew they were in for a hard-fought football game."

The Mustangs were without one of their top players, running back Caleb Kephart, who was forced to sit out — per PIAA rules — because he was ejected from the North Star game.

"He's our playmaker," Gouse said. "What if Berlin didn't have (Glotfelty)? It would have been a little different story. ... We had a good game plan, but Berlin beat us up front. North Star is huge, but they're not real quick like Berlin's kids are. Those guys get on you quick."